Letter: Senate filibuster puts country in the grips of partisan stalemate

Letter: Senate filibuster puts country in the grips of partisan stalemate

Gridlock guaranteed. The elected officials once considered “that august body of deliberative souls” — the U.S. Senate — agreed, by handshake, to continue its practice of allowing the filibustering of every matter that might be considered.

Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed that ALL matters shall be “of the Senate, by the Senate, and for the senators,” be they Republican or Democrat.

America is comprised of people who do not agree with one another on most subjects. So, when Reid says, “The American people want ... ” he means: “Democrats want,” and when McConnell says it he means, “Republicans want.”

Although we are governed by those two major parties, there are at least 28 other political parties reflecting the “wants” of 307 million Americans. Filibusters prevent the debates necessary for all those Americans to reach reasoned conclusions.